When it comes to protecting your craft, you need to think beyond just the final product.

This is precisely the mindset of Gravenhurst-based brewery, Sawdust City, who have undertaken a unique system to treat their onsite waste water with.

This treatment, called a BRÜ CLEAN SYSTEM by Econse, will greatly reduce the environmental impact of Sawdust City, by treating water at their brewery without the use of chemicals. Because Gravenhurst is surrounded by over 80 lakes and dozens more waterways, undertaking this element of environmental protection is essential to long term sustainability.

“All of us who live in Muskoka know that our water is a precious resource,” Rob Engman, President of Sawdust City Brewing Company, says in an Econse press release. “Sustainability in all of our operations is a top priority. Wastewater management is the most crucial issue facing the craft brewing industry in Ontario. We are proud that our company is taking a leadership position through our partnership with The BRÜ CLEAN SYSTEM by Econse.”

Beyond the obvious positives for the environment, Sawdust City is also doing a service for their district. By easing the burden on Muskoka’s Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant, they are saving the district money and resources to treat the water used by the brewery.

Protecting your craft is about protecting the resources that supply it. Without water, there would be no beer, and Sawdust City is showing that through savvy partnerships, enhanced sustainability is possible for breweries – all while remaining cost-effective.

Because of the resources used, breweries will always face unique challenges and require special protection. Beyond sustainability, it’s essential to protect your craft against the myriad of other dangers brewing faces.

For peace of mind and insurance of your product, don’t wait – contact us today to learn more.

Upslope Brewery Protects Their Craft –

While Protecting the Earth

Craft beer is a vibrant up-and-coming industry with positive impacts for entrepreneurs, local economies and discerning drinkers alike. However, like any business oriented around production, waste is an inevitable consequence.

We’re all about advocating for protecting craft beer. But this extends beyond industry accidents, or production problems – it goes right to finding unique solutions to preserving our planet by reducing waste. And this is something Upslope Brewery has successfully accomplished.

By partnering with Boom Algae and Living Ink Technologies, Uplsope Brewery is no longer producing waste in their brewing process. Instead, they are generating essential ingredients to produce eco-friendly bio ink from algae.

“Since we first spoke, Boom Algae has continued to push through technical and logistical challenges and has emerged with the reality of a fully functioning reactor, developed and iterated entirely from conceptual models,” says Upslope’s founder, Matt Cutter in an interview with Brewbound. “For years to come, we look forward to diverting byproducts of our fermentation process to help the Boom Algae folks produce a sustainable raw material for Living Ink!”

Upslope’s waste carbon dioxide, spent grain, and canning rinse water will now go to producing algae for Boom Algae who, in partner with Living Ink, will create something entirely new and useful, without further impacting the planet (and in fact benefitting it by providing an eco-friendly, biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based ink.)

Craft breweries are already producing something we love and use – craft beer. But Uplsope is at the cutting edge of a new way of thinking, which is finding innovative ways to reduce waste and turn what have previously been useless leftovers into something valuable.

It doesn’t always have to be algae-based, though. As more and more breweries adopt the mentality of protecting their craft through sustainable beer production, new and innovative ways to recycle brewery waste will be introduced.

3 Potential Crises Every Brewer May Face

Sure, you may have mastered the process as much as possible, but when it comes down to it there’s bound to be a crisis eventually. Here’s three you might come across:

Microbial Contamination

This one’s a major hassle. Unless you’re a fan of Brett sours, you probably want nothing to do with bacteria in your beer. As such, you’re probably obsessed with sterilization and cleanliness. Even so, microbial contamination is an unfortunate reality most brewers will face. All it takes are a few sneak microbes to sneak through the cleaning process to render your brew undrinkable.

Supply Chain Interruption

You control the brewing, but if you’re like most craft breweries, you rely on other suppliers for your hops, grains and yeast. Establishing lasting partnerships with stable suppliers is a good way to ensure your needs are consistently met. Of course, interruptions do happen. If a crop fails or a delivery is missed, it can seriously hamper your ability to brew (and your customers’ ability to drink!)

Product Recall

The nightmare of any company, a product recall is especially devastating to craft brewers. You’ve not only brewed the beer, you’ve packaged, shipped and marketed it (incurring expenses along the way.) In terms of crises, this one may be the most costly for brewers. Whether it was a problem with the cans or simply a botched batch that made it through, a product recall is a major blow to craft breweries.

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Brewing good beer is a bit like being a chemist – except about 100x as cool. But, like any science experiment, things do go wrong. The good news is, you can be prepared for when the worst happens. Proper coverage will protect you against the financial loss a crises can cause.

If you’re interested in protecting against the worst, don’t hesitate – contact us today!

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